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From: rms@AI.MIT.EDU (Richard Stallman)
Newsgroups: comp.archives
Subject: [gnu.gcc.announce] GCC version 1.38 available
Message-ID: <1990Dec29.002423.22913@ox.com>
Date: 29 Dec 90 00:24:23 GMT
References: <9012272340.AA12122@mole.ai.mit.edu>
Sender: emv@ox.com (Edward Vielmetti)
Reply-To: rms@AI.MIT.EDU (Richard Stallman)
Followup-To: gnu.gcc.announce
Organization: GNUs Not Usenet
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Approved: emv@ox.com (Edward Vielmetti)
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Archive-name: gnu/gcc/gcc-1.38/1990-12-27
Archive: prep.ai.mit.edu:/pub/gnu/gcc-1.38.tar.Z [18.71.0.38]
Original-posting-by: rms@AI.MIT.EDU (Richard Stallman)
Original-subject: GCC version 1.38 available
Reposted-by: emv@ox.com (Edward Vielmetti)

GCC version 1.38 is now released and available for anonymous ftp from
/u/emacs/gcc-1.38.tar.Z on prep.ai.mit.edu.

We now call this a released version of the compiler rather than a beta
test version.  Maintenance of version 1 will continue, but only to fix
bugs that cause clearly incorrect behavior.

Meanwhile, work on version 2 is proceeding.  Several machine
descriptions are now being updated to support instruction scheduling
and delay slot filling.  Global CSE and loop unrolling have been
implemented but remain to be merged in.

Additional machines supported include the Motorola 88000, the AMD
29000 and the IBM RT/PC and RS/6000.  Front ends for Fortran, Modula-2
and Modula-3 are being finished, while both C++ and Objective C are
already supported.

Sorry, but please don't ask when version 2 will be ready for people in
general to start testing.  We have plenty of problems to work on
without any additional testers as of now.  We will make an
announcement on info-gcc (aka gnu.gcc.announce) when we are ready
to distribute copies to the public.

For the long term, use of GCC in the United States is clouded by a
possible patent covering include files, whose existence was reported
by Usenix to its members.  It seems plausible a priori that such a
patent would be invalidated by prior art, even though applied for in
1975, but I can't really start to judge until I see the patent.  So
far I have been unable to find out the patent number--I don't know
anything about it beyond what I have stated here.

If you are concerned about the problems caused by software patents,
ask league@prep.ai.mit.edu to send you more information.  If you
aren't concerned, ask league@prep.ai.mit.edu to explain why the matter
calls for concern.